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Friday, October 9, 2015

Coaches' Poll: Great Lakes 10/9

One coach, captain, or designee from each USQ official team was asked to rank the top ten teams in their region. Points were allocated in the following manner: 10 points for a first place vote, nine points for a second place vote, eight points for a third place vote, etc. The votes have been tabulated and listed below in order of total votes. The number in parentheses indicates how many first place votes a team received.Voters were given fewer than three days to vote; some came in after the deadline and were thus not counted. Further, during the voting period, voters from each team were still being identified. Thus while this poll provides a good basis for how each region views its teams, the lack of information available to voters and flaws with the design these results should be taken with a grain of salt. We will continue to run coaches’ polls throughout the season to reflect how each region views its own teams.

Notes: Twelve votes were cast; however, one was rejected based on lack of objectivity. Voters were instructed to write QC Pittsburgh in if they wished to cast a ballot for that team.

Voters Explain Their Decisions:

Voter 1

I think Maelstrom just has too much talent. BGSU beat UM heads up, and it changed my original opinion. I think that Ball State has played together for so long, it will be able to overcome the loss of Melinda Staup, Danielle Anderson, and Trevor Campbell . MSU is a wild card in my opinion. I think that without Jacob Heppe, the team would struggle to be top 10, and with him, I'm not sure. I don't know how much impact a single player can have, but MSU made a deep run at World Cup last year, and that should mean something. OSU has lost so much, but it still has Fritz and Boettner. Tempest has a lot of talent, but will be in the shadow of Maelstrom. Seeing OU, Miami, and CMU last weekend, they all looked solid, and I think not having personally seen the rest of the teams in the region, I trust the experience of these programs going forward.

Voter 2

I labelled BGSU first since it has some of the best beaters in the region that I have seen. Also, star seeker Sam Roitblat seems to be in top shape. The team is also fast and causes chaos on the pitch for other teams both offensively and defensively. After winning Tournament of the Stars (TOTS) without some key members of their team, I am convinced that it is the top of the region thus far. No. 2 is Ball State. After watching how it played last year compared to this year, Ball State has become even better. Last year its offensive strategy was to dictate time, but now the team is running up and down the pitch flawlessly. I’d say Michigan Quidditch Team is third since I don't know how much this team is going to improve throughout the season, but so far so good. At TOTS, Michigan asserted dominance on the pitch with aggressive beater play.

Fourth is Ohio University Quidditch Club. This team to me has all the potential to become a threat at the regional championship. It is most certainly not the OU team from last year. It has increased its athleticism and size. Five and six are Maelstrom and Tempest. Lake Effect’s decision to divide up its talent may hurt it in the long run but each team is still a powerhouse in the region. I’m going with OSU as my seventh pick since, now that we’re speaking of teams not being what they were last year, Ohio State has lost some spark. At TOTS, it took contested half pitch shots and was sloppy in setting up its offense. Eight and nine are EMU and Miami University. I haven’t seen them play but heard good things. My last pick are the Falcon Warriors. They practice with and against BGSU every day and look better than last year’s team.

Voter 3

Not sure which Great Lake team has which roster, but being the dominant community team and based on last year's performance, they seem to be likely the top contenders. BGSU has been good in the past and is off to a great start; it has snatched when it mattered and has been in comfortable leads against a few other top teams of the region. Ball State not only has most of the Indianapolis Intensity MLQ team, but its new recruits always add a few excellent players. Ball State also kept it close with Bowling Green. Michigan and Miami are good teams, and I put them ahead of OSU, a team that has been on a downward trend for some time now. Ohio State not only flopped at World Cup last year, but it is off to a poor start. David Hoops left a big gap (literally and figuratively), and the fact is Ohio State’s beater game has never been all that great. It was their chaser size that made them defensive monsters. My rankings of MSU, CMU, and Grand Valley State University are, for the most part, based on last year’s performance and it seems a bit too early to give them an accurate ranking. Falcon Warriors may be able to contend for that 10thspot, but then again almost any team could depending on new recruits.